My author copies of Demonweb Pits have arrived, and despite a somewhat murky cover, it looks pretty good so far. I'll need to dig in to see how a year of development and editing changed the original turnover, but a couple of changes so far are interesting. Shame about the cut spells, though; I may post some of the "leftovers" here, and do a little Q&A about how it was written, the design goals, the new format, what have you.

For that, of course, I need questions. If you're curious about the design and development of this beastie, please take this opportunity to ask away.

Comments

1) "The structure is very flexible and eminently customizable." Could you elaborate on exactly what this entails and how you went about it in the first place?

2) I have the foggy notion this is a sort of 'Return to' adventure. Maybe I'm mistaken (as I cant recall the exact 1e or 2e adventure), but if so, what sort of instructions did you get from Wizards in regards to how your new adventure should 'follow in the footsteps of' its predecessor?

I'm not going to ask specific questions, but as I still hope to be in on one of the "Expedition to..." products myself (assuming WotC plans to do any more of them after the current run), I'd love to hear anything you have to say about the specific process, and how it differed (if at all) from other

The planescape campaign setting was pretty... different... from other existing campaign settings at the time (or at now, for that matter). How much free reign were you given to be a bit odd for this book?

I'm always interested in how two authors work together on a project like this. How was the labor divided between you and Gwendolyn?

I just noticed something of interest in your Interests and had to comment. The combination of Italy, Memento Mori, and Grappa is very reminiscent for me and not just because I could list them in my own Interests as well.

Two years ago, I took two courses in Rome, Italy. One course involved Baroque Art, and indeed I saw many Memento Mori pieces, frequently on tomb decoration. The above icon is one such, and I have several other photos I could send you links to as well if you're interested. Finally, while in Rome, I had my first taste of grappa, and I am a big fan. I've also tried some Chilean grappa since then -- ABA Pisco -- but it seems to me the second rate Italian brand was better. The best I've had yet, however, was the Italian Alexander Aqva Di Vita that I tried in Toronto -- rather expensive though. Know any you could suggest?

Is there a connection between these three for you as well -- at least between Italy and Grappa -- or are they all very separate interests of yours?

My time in Italy has been extremely limited, and yet my first novel is set there (Venice and Milan). I love the country, the history, the wines, the memento mori, and yes, the grappa. Though for me, all three interests are unrelated.

I'm not sure when I first encountered grappa; probably from my father. I've since enjoyed drinking it whenever I find it on a menu or at a bar, but oddly, don't keep a bottle at home. I'll dig around for the Italian you mention. I'd recommend the Oregon grappa if I could remember the name of the thing... :(

The memento mori, for me, relate to the Baroque as well, but to the Baroque in Germany and Poland. I'd love to see more of your photos/links on this topic.

Here's my collection of the memento mori from Rome. They're all marble of some sort from church interiors. The majority are Baroque pieces (as we focused on Baroque churches and that's when the pontiffs exuberantly funded the arts for their own purposes), but some may date a little earlier or later. The majority of these were side-exhibits, so to speak, and not the focus of our main lectures.

Also, I'll apologize for some of the photos' quality. Many of the churches were quite dimly lit in their side chapels.

I took over 600 photos of the scenery in Rome, Naples, and Pompeii on my trip and also recorded a few journal entries in my notebook. If you're interested in seeing any more of it, perhaps to help for your book, it is all organized and sorted in this journal entry of mine.